staller



Aug. 18, 1959 K. J. sTALLER 2,899,765

TOY CAP GUN WITH LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE ACTUATOR Filed Nov. 5, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y \ul Aug. 18, 1959 K. J. sTALLER I 2,899,766

TOY CAP GUN WITH LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE ACTUATOR Filed Nov. 5, 19564 5 Sheecs-Sheet-2A TOY CAP GUN WITH LNGITUDINALLY MOVABLE ACTUATOR Karel J. Staller, Rutherford, NJ.

Application November 5, 1956, Serial No. 620,528

9 Claims. (Cl. 42-57) The invention relates to toy guns, and relates more particularly to toy guns of the type in which a tape of caps is fed towards a gap between a hammer and an anvil to be struck upon the pulling of a trigger, to detonate the caps to make noise.

Still more particularly, the invention relates to a toy gun in which either `single shots may be fired or a series of succeeding shots.

Toy guns now in existence are deficient therein that they either are of the gun type tiring only a series of shots or of the single shot type, but not botlrcombined in one gun. Furthermore, many of the present toy machine guns have the deficiency that they utilize a spiral spring which is wound by means of a key to decrease the overall size of the spiral spring for tensioning, in the customary manner of most spring driven toys. This has the attendant disadvantage that, owing to the customary characteristics of spiral or helical springs, the spring has a far greater force when fully wound than after it has been partially unwound. Toy guns of this type will thus work well at the beginning of the gun operation when the spring is fully tensioned, but will vary the cyclic rate and work unreliably at all other times.

Accordingly, it is among the principal objects of the invention to avoid these deficiencies of the prior art, and to provide a toy gun that can lire individual shots as well as an entire series of shots, and that is spring-powered substantially evenly from beginning to the end of the spring driven operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically referred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a toy gun in accordance with the invention, showing the gun set for individual shots;

Fig.2 is a side elevational view of the toy gun, but withtheouter `housing removed exposing the opposite side from that shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view, but with the magazine and butt-end removed;

Fig. 4 is a large scale fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, showing certain structural details of the gun as illustrated in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a large scale fragmentary elevational View, partly in section, similar to Fig. 4, but showing the parts in a different position, and with the magazine removed;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a large scale fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, showing a detail illustrated in Figs. 2, 4, and 5;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a large scale fragmentary elevational view, partlyin section, similar to Figs. 4 and 5, butshowing 2,899,766 Patented Aug. 18, 11959 2 the parts in position after a single shot has been fired; and

Fig'. 10 is a large scale fragmentary elevational view similar to Figs. 4 and 5, but showing the pants set for series shots.

In carrying the invention into effect in one of the embodiments which has been selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and for description in this speciiication, and referring now particularly to Figs. l- 4, there is provided a Itoy gun 21 that comprises a gun stock 22 which includes a gun stock end 23 made of wood or plastic, or the like, a frame 24 made of metal or plastic or ythe like, at least partially enclosed by a casing 25, and a cylindrical part 26 that surmounts the frame 24, imitating the appearance of a rifle.

A magazine 27 is removably fastenable to the frame 24. The magazine 27 includes a housing 28 in which there is mounted a reel 29 for a roll of cap tape 31. In the housing 28 there is furthermore journalled a roll 32 (Figs. 2, 7, and 8), and there is iixedly mounted in the housing 28 an anvil 33.

The tape 3l (Fig. 8) is of the conventional type and may either be with or without perforations between the detonating caps. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the tape 31 may have perforations 34 that are spaced apart for engagement by the sprockets of a sprocket wheel, and have therebetween detonating caps 36. The tape 31 is fed underneath the lower face of the anvil 33. The magazine 27 has. a forward latch 37 (Fig. 4) and a rearward nose 38. ln mounting the magazine 27 removably on the stock 22, the latch 37 will engage in a recess 39 (Fig. 5) that is formed in the frame 24, and the nose 38 will be engaged by a tiltable hook 41 that is tensioned by a spring 42. The hook 4l is tapered on top, affording manual access between the hook 41 and the wall of the housing 28, in order to be able to tilt the hook 41 backwardly to release the magazine 27 when it is desired to remove the latter.

On the interior of the frame 24 there is pivoted around `a pin 43 a hammer 44 that may tilt about the axis of the pivot 43 in one direction A to a striking position (Fig. 4), and in the opposite direction B to a cooking position (Fig. 5). The hammer 44 includes a head 46 which is mounted on a first arm 47. The head 46 makes impact with and abuts against the anvil 33 in the striking position, when the magazine 27 is emplaced on the frame 24. The hammer 44 comprises a second arm 48 to which is secured one end of resilient means, such as a retraction tension spring 49 that has its other end secured, and which is disposed in its entirety, within the cylindrical part 26. The spring 49 urges the hammer 44 to turn in the direction A towards the striking vposition.

The hammer 44 has a third arm 51 which carries a pin 52 on which there is journalled a pawl 53. The pawl 53 has a nose S4, and the arm 5l has a stop S6; the nose 54 is limited in turning in (the clockwise) direction B (Fig. 4) about the pin 52 by the stop 56. A spring 57 urges the pawl 53 in the (clockwise) direction B (Fig. 4).

In order to actuate the hammer 44, there is provided an actuator or hammer engaging means, such as a toothed trod 58 which is longitudinally movable in the casing 25, and which has teeth 59 that are cut into the upper surface of the rod 58. The rod 58 is movable longitudinally between a forward position (shown in solid lines in Fig.y 2) and a rearward position (shown in broken lines in Fig. 2). The rod 58 is biased by two springs 61 and 62 that are mounted near the front end of the frame 24. -An end of each of these springs 61 and 62 is connected to the front portion of the rod 58. Preferably, the springs sion springs available on the market under the trademark Negaton In this type of spring, the traction power is substantially independent of the length to which the spring hasbeen unwound. i

The springs 61 and 62 may be mounted revolubly on pins 6e and 64, respectively, that are connected to the frame 24.

The frame 24 has a slot 66 through which there protrudes a pin 67 which is secured to the rod 53\,`and which carries on its free end a handle 68. The handle 68 projects on the right hand side of the gun 21 when normally held, and enables the user of the gun to pull `the handle 68 along the slot 66 in the direction C agaihst therpower of the springs 61 and 62. Pulling of the rod 58 in the direction D will result in cocking by tensioning the springs 61 and 62.

Beiow the hammer 44 there is pivoted to the frame 24 a control member 69. The pivot connection is provided by a pin 71 about which the control member is tiltable between an inactive position (Fig. 4) and an active positin (Fig. 5) spaced angularly therefrom.

The pin 71 is parallel to the pin 43, and therefore the movement of the control member 69 is similar to that of the hammer 44. The control member 69 has an upper portion 72, the path of which in part overlaps the path of the hammer head 46. Latching means, generally indicated at 73, are provided to latch releasably the control member 69 in the inactive position (Fig. 4). In that inactive position, the portion 72 supports from below the hammer head 46, thereby retaining the head 46 in the striking position or in a slightly cocked position. When the latching means 73 release the control member 69, then the hammer 44 can be turned by the rod 58, and the head 46 will forcibly tilt the control member from the inactive position (Fig. 4) into the active position (Fig. 5).

For turning the hammer 44 in the (clockwise) direction B into the cooking position, the rod 58 under the power of the springs 61 and 62 presses against the pawl 53, and the pawl 53 transmits ythe power to the hammer 44 by means of the stop 56, against the force of the retraction spring 49.

The control member 69 has a detent 74 which moves with the control member about the axis of the pin 71, and which is adapted in the active position of the control member 69 to engage a tooth 59 of the rod 58. Upon this engagement, the forward movement of the rod 58 in direction D is halted, thereby freeing the pawl 53 from all pressure exerted by the rod S8, and enabling the retraction spring 49 to return the hammer from the cocking position to the striking position. The position of the pawl, and the position of the Adetent 74, with respect to the teeth 59 is so arranged that the detent 74 will engage la. tooth of the rod 5'8 once removed from the tooth that had `engaged during the preceding cooking movement the pawl :33, at an instant after the pawl S3 has passed the upper edge of the tooth (as best shown in Fig. 5).

A spring 76 is connected to the frame 24 and bears with its free end against the control member 69, and urges the control member 69 to return -to the inactive position. The spring 76 may be a compression spring or any other type spring. The spring 76 is suhiciently weak to permit turning of the control member 69 into the active position by the hammer 44; the hammer 44 is activated by the difference of two opposite forces, namely the springs 61 and 62 urging the hammer 44 into the cocked position, and Vthe spring 49 which urges it into the striking position. The compression spring 76 is sufficiently strong to return the control member 69 to the inactive position when the hammer 44 has been returned to the striking position. The shape of the detent 74 in conjunction with the `shape of the `breast of the teeth 59 engaged by the detent 74, and the strength of the compression spring 76 are so arranged that the control member 69 may be retut-'ned `to the inactive position by the compression Spring 76 Vnotwithstanding the continued pressure and the hiction resulting therefrom exerted from the tooth against the detent 74 by the force of the springs 61 and 62. On

ythe other hand, the arrangement is such that while the f come the friction between the tooth 59 and the detent 74.

The latching means 73 yincludes a detent or detent member 77 that is pivoted to the frame 24 Iabout a pin 78, and is pressed by a compression spring 79 towards a position (Fig. 4) wherein its upper arm 81 engages a shoulder 82 that is formed on the control member 69 to retain the control member 69 in 'the inactive position. The lower arm 83 of the detent member 77 carries a pin 84 on which there is pivoted a bellcrank lever 86 having a short leg 87 and a long leg 83. The short leg 37 has a at top surface 89 which may be engaged for actuation by a trigger 91. A hair spring 92 is provided that acts between the detent 77 and the bellcrank lever 86, and which urges the lever 86 to turn in the direction B 'about the `axis of the pin 84. The detent member 77 will engage the shoulder 82, as pressed by the spring 79, and in that position (Fig. 4) the long leg will be positioned to engage in abutment, with its free end, anarcuate cavity 93 that is formed on the control member 69. The spring 92 will maintain that abutment, whereby the long leg 88 is positioned at a predetermined acute angle relative to the detent member 77, thereby thrusting the surface 89 of the short leg 87 within reach of a head 94 of the trigger 91. The head 94 in the `normal position (Fig. 4) of the trigger 91 engages the surface 89, and the trigger 91 is urged by a return spring 96 to tilt in the direction B about the axis of a pivot 97 (Fig. 4).

When the trigger 91 is manually operated, by tilting it about the axis of the pin 97 in the direction A (Fig. 4), the head 94 will press downwardly against the surface 89, thereby moving fthe detent 77 about the axis of the pin 73 in the direction B (Fig. 4), until the upper arm 31 is moved out-of-engagement from the shoulder 82. Thereby the control member 69 is unlatched, and will be tilted by the hammer 44 into the active position (Fig. 5). If the control member 69 is thus rotated about the axis of its pin 71 in the direction B (Fig. 4), the long leg 86 will be engaged and pressed downwardly by an extension 98 that is formed on the control member 69 adjacent the arcuate cavity 93 thereof. By the tilting movement of the detent 77 and the downward depression of the long leg 86, the short leg S7 and its surface S9 will be moved out of the reach of the head 94 of the trigger 91, and the trigger 91 will be returned by .the spring 96 Iinto the normal position (Fig. 4), except where 'the hand of the operator continues the pulling of the trigger 91 in the direction A (as shown in Fig. 5).

Subsequently, as previously described, the spring 49 will retract the hammer 44 into the striking position, and the spring 76 will return the control member 69 into the inactive position, and the detent 77 will again engage the shoulder 82 under the urging of the spring 79. In the inactive position of the control member 69, the long leg 88 will again be released by the extension 98, and the spring 92 will press the free end of the long leg 88 towards engagement with the cavity 93. Where the operator has released the trigger 92, the parts will resume the normal position (shown in Fig. 4). Where, however, the operator continues to pull the trigger 91, a side surface 99 of the short leg 87 will engage a side surface 101 that is formed on the trigger head 94 (Fig. 9), `thereby insuring that before the next shot can be fired, the operator will need to release the trigger 91 so that it can resume under the tension of the spring 96 the normal position (Fig. 4).

A roll 102 is journalled to the frame 24 about a pin 103 (Figs. 4, 5, 7, and 8), and is adjacent the roll 32 when the magazine 27 is emplaced on the gun. The roll 102 may be provided with sprockets 104 to cooperate with the perforations 34 of the tape 31. The tape 31 is friotionally enga-ged between the surfaces of the rolls 32 and 102, and is fed by the friction of the peripheral engagement, and may also be fed by the positive engagement of the sprocket 104 with the perforations 34. Where a tape is used that has no perforations, a roll 102 will be used lthat is without any sprockets, and the tape be fed solely by the frictional engagement between the rolls 32 and 102.

In order to move the roll 102 for tape feeding, there is provided an arm 106 that is pivoted to the control member 69 at a point 107 which is spaced from the pivot axis of the pin 71 of the control member 69 for a certain distance. Thereby, there is provided a leverage, so that when the control member 69 is tilted, the arm 106 will move longitudinally of its length. The arm 106 is guided near its upper end, and is provided with a hook 108 that engages a series of teeth 109 which are formed on the roll 102. As the arm 106 is shifted forwards and backwards, its hook 108 will engage a succeeding too-th 109 for each back and forth tilting cycle of the control member 69. As one tooth 109 is arranged for each sprocket 104, the tape 31 will be shifted to position the next succeeding cap 36 on the anvil 33 for each completed cycle of the control member 69.

The trigger 91 is shiftable between two positions, namely a position for single shots, and a position for series shots. The position for single shots is shown in Figs. 2-9, yand described in connection with those views.

The pin 97 of the trigger 91 is not mounted directlyv on the frame 24, but forms part of an eccentric 111 (Figs. 4, that is journalled in the frame 24. On the other side of the frame 24, the eccentric 111 is provided with a handle 112 (Fig. 1) that is settable between a single shot position F (shown in solid lines in Fig. l), and a series shot position G (shown in broken vlines in Fig. l). In Figs. 2-9, the lever 112 has been set to the single shot position F with the pin 97 disposed in the lower position, while in the arrangement shown in Fig. l0 the handle 112 is in the position G for seriesshots with the pin 97 rotated into an upper position. By this rotation, the trigger head 94 while pulled by the operator will be in such a position that it remains in engagement with the surface 89 of the short leg 87, thereby maintaining the detent 77 out-oflatching engagement with the shoulder 82. Thus, in the series shot position, when the trigger 91 is maintained in the pulling position, the hammer 44 as well as the control member 69 will continue to tilt back and forth in cycle, continually detonating a cap 36 for each completed cycle, until the operator releases the trigger 91.

The operation has in detail been described in the foregoing. summarizing it briey, the operation is as follows:

The operator will load a tape 31 of caps into the magazine 27, and insert the magazine onto the frame 24. Thereafter, he will grip the handle 68, and pull it lbackwards in direction C either part of the way, or all the way until the rod 58 comes to a halt in the rearwardmost position (shown in broken lines in Fig. 2). The operator will then set the lever 112 either to the position F for single shots or to the position G for series shots.

If set to the position F, pulling of the trigger 91 will result in a single shot, as after the completion of a cycle of the control member 69, the detent 77 will be returned by the spring 79 to the latching position, as the triggef head 94 will then not block the return path of the lever 86. During each completed cycle, a new cap 36 is fed in fron-t of the anvil 33, and the hammer head 46 detonates it.

If, however, the operator sets the handle to the series shot posi-tion G, the trigger head 94 will remain in engagement with the surface 89 of |the lever 86, blocking the return of the detent 77 to the latching position, as long fas the trigger 91 is pulled.

The rod 58 advances in the direction D for one tooth 59, under the force of the tension springs 61 and 62. Slots of either the single or the series type may be continued until the rod 58 has reached its iinal position (shown in solid lines in Fig. 2). n

Any of the springs described as of a particular type, such as a compression spring, may be replaced by any other suitable type spring, such as a tension spring or a spiral spring or at spring, as long as the arrangement is such that the part moved by the spring retains its peculiar movement and function.

I wish it to be understood that I `do not desire to -be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. y

Having thus ldescribed the invention, what I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A toy gun, for use in connection with a cap tape, comprising in combination, a gun stock, an actuator reciprocably movable longitudinally of the gun stock, spring means urging said actuator in one direction, a hammer pivoted to said stock and tiltable between a cocking position and a striking position and operable to be engaged by said actuator to be tilted thereby into the cocking position, means for feeding the tape to position the caps for striking of a cap by the hammer in said striking position, resilient means operable for urging said hammer into the striking position, the force of said spring means being greater than the force of said resilient means whereby said actuator when engaging said hammer may cock said hammer against the force of said resilient means and said resilient means return said hammer to the striking position upon cessation of said said detent is disengaged from said actuator and movable engagement of the hammer by said actuator, and means for temporarily arresting said actuator comprising a control member pivoted to said stock and including a detent and being tiltable between an inactive position wherein by said hammer during the cocking movement thereof into an active position wherein said detent engages said actuator for temporary arrest thereof, and :latching means operable to latch said member releasably in the inactive position.

2. A toy gun, as claimed in claim l, together with said tape feeding means comprising two feeding rolls receiving the tape therebetween, annd means in driving connection with said control member and actuatable thereby to advance said tape for a step during each completed cycle of said control member between its inactive and active positions.

3. A toy gun, as claimed in claim 1, said actuator including a rack, said hammer comprising a pawl engaging the teeth of said rack, said actuator under the force of said spring means and upon release by said detent forcing said pawl to turn the hammer about its pivot axis to the cocking position, the teeth of said rack passing said pawl during manually energized movement of said actuator against the force of said spring means.

4. A toy gun, as claimed in claim l, together with, a trigger operable to engage and to actuate said latching means, and means for positioning said trigger between a single shot position and a series shot position, said trigger when operated manually engaging said latching means in the series shot position continuously and, ref

oted to said gun stock and having a head, said hammer` being tiltable about said pivot between a striking position of impact of said head against said anvil and, respectively, acocking position spaced. therefrom, spring biased` movable actuating means engagingsaid hammer inthe striking position urging it towards said cooking position,

resilient means for retractingsaid hammer into the striking position, said resilient means exerting a tilting momentum ony said hammer which is inferior to that exerted by said spring biased actuating means, whereby said hammer when free to move will be turned to the .cocking po-k sition during the engagement with said actuating means and upon disengagement therefrom will be returned by said resilient means to the striking position, a hammer control member pivoted to said stock and including latching means and `being movable and disposed in the tilting path of at least a portion of said hammer, said latchingk means retaining said control member normally in an inactive position wherein it blocks the path of said hammer and retains the hammer in the striking position, said latching means ybeing actuatable to release said control member thereby unblocking the path of said hammer to move to the cooking position and during that movement moving said control member from an inactive to an active position spaced therefrom, said control member actuating said engaging means in said active position to arrest it temporarily, a spring operable to return said control member to the inactive position when said hammer isin the striking position, and a trigger for actuating said latching means, said actuating means includinga rod movable longitudinally of said stock and including a series of hammer engaging elements,-and a constant traction spring mounted in said stock and applied to said rod biasing it in one direction.

6. A toy gun, as claimed in claim 5, together with means extending `from said stock including a handle for manual movement of said rod against the force of said spring,

7. A toy gun for cap tapes, comprising in combination, a movable hammer, means for cocking said harnmer, and means including a trigger for releasing said hammer to strike, means comprising a magazine removably mounted on said gun stock and including an anvil d of said hammer whereby-for each hammer strike the? tape will be advancedfor one cap, said feeding means comprising a tirst roll journalled on said gun stock and a 4second roll journalled in said magazine and engaging with said rst roll the tape forL feeding it, and means for turning said iirst roll tlor a fraction of a turn correspond ing toV the distance between two caps on the tape in de pendency of the hammer striking movement. l

8. A toy gun, for use in connection with a capy tape comprising in combination, a gun stock, a hammer pivoted to said stock and` being tiltably movable about the pivot between a striking position and a cooking position, and a movable control member connected to said stock and having a part disposed in the path of tilting of said hammer and operable normally to retain the hammer in the striking position and releasable to be moved by the hammer when the hammer moves from the striking to the cooking position, latching means comprising a movable detent pivoted to said gun stock and operable to latch said control membernormally in the hammer.

retaining position, a lever pivoted to ysaid detent and operable to move it, said detent and lever ybeing operable to release saidcontrol member, a trigger operable to engage said lever to move said detent to release the control` member, and an actuator movable longitudinally of said `gun stock and :being spring powered and operable to engage alternately said hammer and said control member under said spring power, upon trigger operation.

9. A toy gun, as claimed in claim 8, said trigger being shiftable .between a single shot position and a series shot position, said triggerin the .single shot position when pulled engaging said jlever to tilt the latch for control member. release, the position of the trigger in the single shot position being disposed ,relative to said lever in such a manner that upon trigger engagement of the lever the lever. will be moved out of the path of the trigger and, respectively, thetrigger in the series shot position being disposed relative to said lever `in such a manner that the engagement between the trigger and the lever will continue as long as the trigger is pulled whereby the detent will remain out-of-engagement with the control member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,108,269 Rickenbacher Feb. 15, 1938 2,446,698 Fujiwara Aug. 10, 1948 2,470,158 Gazda May 17, 1949 2,475,730 Wandrey July 12, 1949 2,587,460 Gaidos Feb. 26, 1952 2,643,476 Kilgore June 30, 1953 2,729,011 Frye Ian. 3, 1956 2,775,836 Emerson Ian. 1, 1957 

